The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology announced today in Vila do Porto that the Compensation Plan for Additional Costs of Fish Products in the Azores, commonly known as POSEI-FISHERIES, for 2016 began to be paid today to Azorean fishers.
Gui Menezes added that, at this stage, 307 applications amounting to 1.4 million Euros are being paid. According to him, it is expected that the whole process will be concluded by the end of September.
The Regional Secretary spoke during a meeting with the Board of Santa Maria Fishers' Association under the Government's statutory visit to this island. On the occasion, he pointed out as causes for the delay in payments "some issues with applications and with the computer systems of the managing authority of Mar2020 and Financing Institute of Agriculture and Fisheries (IFAP)."
The government official also said the calculations for payments are based on averages of the previous year. It was necessary to make some amendments "according to the actual number of unloadings registered in fish markets last year."
In this meeting, the Regional Secretary stressed that the Government of the Azores has redistributed the red seabream quota allocated to Santa Maria, "as requested by the association, to optimise the use of the quota" stipulated for this species.
The government official also assured that the Government will build a room for the filleting, evisceration and packaging of fish in order to enhance the fish caught in Santa Maria, which is claim of local fishers.